Despite his characterization of negotiation with difficult leaders as “appeasement,” President Bush “has spoken to or exchanged letters with” Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on numerous occasions, “underscoring how White House policy has departed from his pointed public call to shun talks with radical tyrants and dictators. ”

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) writes that “Republicans are in denial.” In today’s WSJ, he argues that “much is being written about the supposed soul-searching in the Republican Party. A more accurate description of our state is paralysis and denial.”

“Twice as many veterans of the Iraq war are running for Congress than in 2006, and this year Republican candidates outnumber Democrats. Although many of the veteran candidates still face primaries and some are long shots, the outcome in November could well increase the number of combat veterans serving in Congress, a group that has been dwindling since 2000.”

Rising inflation and soaring food prices have caused the purchasing power of food stamps to drop since Congress last recalculated benefit levels in 1996. Food stamps are now worth an estimated $37 less per month than they were 12 years ago, while the consumer price index for food has increased faster than in two decades.

In “blunt and detailed report,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran’s suspected research into the development of nuclear weapons remained “a matter of serious concern” and that Iran continued to owe the agency “substantial explanations.”

The Club for Growth, a “conservative, free-market advocacy group,” will begin airing ads this week pressing Senate Republicans and Democrats to vote against a bill introduced by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and John Warner (R-VA) that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 71 percent by mid-century.

A new Government Accountability Office report being released today finds that a Department of Homeland Security program “to strengthen port security has gaps that terrorists could exploit to smuggle weapons of mass destruction in cargo containers.”

“Soccer’s world governing body suspended Iraq’s national soccer association on Monday, leaving the players on Iraq’s national team who had united a divided country fearing that they will not be able to participate in the 2010 World Cup.” The suspension by the governing body had “its roots in a decision last week by the Iraqi government to disband the Iraqi Olympic Committee,” determining the “committee was operating illegally.”

And finally: Jenna gives Ellen permission to get married on Bush’s Texas ranch. Jenna and Laura Bush sat for an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, which will air this coming Wednesday. “So, the ranch was a great place to get married – it looked like nobody could fly over and get pictures or bother you, really,” DeGeneres said. “Can we get the ranch?” she asked, referring to her upcoming nuptials with actress Portia de Rossi. “Sure,” said Jenna.

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